AFAC’s Fiction Cinema Grant up to $50.000

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) is offering The Cinema grant that is open to all kinds of fiction film projects. The program welcomes submissions of short and medium-length narrative films in production and post-production and feature narratives that are in development, production or post-production phases.

1. The program provides annual grants ranging from a few thousand U.S. dollars up to a maximum of ten thousand U.S. dollars for Development grants, up to fifty thousand U.S. dollars for Production and a maximum of twenty-five thousand U.S. dollars for Post-production grants.
2. In the event that the grantee does not sign the grant contract within 60 days upon receipt thereof, the grant will be canceled. Projects must be completed within 2 years of signing the contract, during which grantees are expected so submit the necessary financial and narrative reports.
3. No grantee will be awarded more than two deadline extensions during the grant period; such extensions should be justified by the grantee and approved by AFAC.
4. AFAC does not offer mobility grants. Travel costs can be covered by the AFAC grant only when they are part of the implementation of a project.

1. AFAC only covers project-related expenses (including artist fees up to 30% of the total grant amount). Neither running operating costs nor purchase of equipment can be covered by the grant. The percentage of allocation to artist fees and institutional running costs has been exceptionally raised in 2020 and 2021 to account for the challenges brought about by the spread of COVID-19.
2. A film producer is eligible to apply with a maximum of two projects per category per cycle provided the two projects are not attached to the same director. However, if a film producer has one open grant, s/he can apply with one project. If s/he has two open grants, s/he is not eligible to apply before closing one grant at least.

Ineligible Candidates:

AFAC will not consider applications submitted by:

• Members of the Board of Trustees, their business partners or family members.
• AFAC staff members, their business partners or family members.
• Members of the current year’s readers and jurors’ committees.
• Recipients of two consecutive grants unless two years had passed since the last grant (e.g. If a grantee had received two grants in 2017 and 2018, s/he can apply again in 2021).
• A director who already has an open grant from AFAC (whether the contract is in her/his name or in the producer’s name).
• Each director is entitled to only one application in the same category.
• If a director has an application that is in process, s/he cannot submit another application in any category until the result of the current application in process is announced.
• If a grantee had received two grants one for development and one for production to the same film project, she/he cannot apply for post-production.

Eligible Expenses:

AFAC only covers project-related expenses (including Artist fees). Neither running operating costs nor purchase of equipment can be covered by the grant.

Place and Duration:

AFAC will not provide support retroactively, i.e. to projects already completed. For projects that have already started, AFAC will cover the expenses that will occur only after the signature of the contract if the project is selected.

Projects may be implemented anywhere as long as they are created by Arab filmmakers.

The project’s time frame should not exceed 24 months.

Supporting Material:

1. If the application is submitted by the producer, make sure to provide samples of the director’s previous works if any.
2. Applications lacking in supporting material will not be considered for evaluation nor will the applicant be contacted to send the missing material.
3. If applying for a post-production fund, a rough cut (10 minutes and above for medium-length projects; 25 minutes and above for feature-length projects) is mandatory. A trailer can be sent in addition to the rough cut.
4. If you are applying for a production fund, you need to submit a script and a treatment of the submitted project.
5. If you are applying with a project that is partly or fully animated, the submission of a mood board is mandatory.
6. Supporting files/samples for submitted project and previous works smaller than 10 MB can be uploaded directly to the application.
7. Supporting files/samples for submitted project and previous works exceeding 10 MB should be included as links to files on sharing websites (such as Dropbox, Vimeo, YouTube…).
8. For further inquiries regarding supporting material, contact AFAC grants management team.
9. For all projects, include a detailed budget.

About the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture:

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture - AFAC was founded in 2007 through the initiative of Arab cultural activists as an independent foundation to support individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, as well as organizations from the Arab region working in the field of arts and culture. Since its launch, AFAC’s programs have steadily expanded to cover cinema, photography, visual and performing arts, creative and critical writings, music, documentary film, in addition to funding research, training and cultural events. Based in Beirut, AFAC works with artists and organizations all over the Arab region and the rest of the world.

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